Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1887-08-03
CHAPTER NNNN.
TIE CONCLUSION OF THE MATTER.

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TIE coHCLUSION OF TIE MATTER.
When the rain ceased and the moon began
to shine, jess was still fleeing like Wild
thing across the plain Oh the top of tn" moan
tain She felt no sense of exhaustion now or
even of wcarimcSS: her only idea WAS TO get
away. right away somewhere, where She
could lose herself and nobody would ever ,ee
her again. Presently she came to the top OF
I.rllw klonf. and in IL bewildcrcd way rccog-
nizcl the spot and ron.i:cncc'l to descend it.
Here was Il place where she might lie until
she died. for no one ever came there, except
HOW and again some wandering kair herd.
On she slrang, from rock to rock, n wild,
weird figure, well in keeping with the solemn
and titanic sadness of the place.
Twice she fell, once right into the stream,
but she took no heed, she did not
even seem to feel it. At last she was
at the bottom, now creeping like black
dot across the wide spaces of moonlight and
now swallowed up in the shadow. There
before her WAS the mouth of her little cave;
her strength was leaving her at last. and she
was fam to creep into it, broken hearted,
crazcd. and-,lving.
''Oh God. forgive NE! God forgive me-
she moancd, as she sank upon the rocky
floor. "licS>ir, | Sin.lcd against you, but
have washed aw-v my sin. | did it for you,
Bessie. love. not for mySslf. had rather
have died than kill linn for myself. You will
marry John now. and YOU will never. never
know what did for You. am going I" die.
| know that am dying Oh, if only
could sec his face once more before di''-br
fore die
Slowly the wrStcring moonlight rrrpt down
the hlarkncSS Of the rock. Now ut inst it
pcrprl into the little cave and played upon
Johns sleeping face lying within tw" feet Of
her. Her PRAYER had been granted; there
was her lover by her side.
With Il start and u great sigh of doubt she
saw him. Was he dead: She dragged her
self to him on her hands ami knees and list
cncd for his breathing, ii pcrchanr" Lr still
hrruthcd and was not Il vision. Then it came.
strong and slow, the breath of Il man in deep
sleep.
Should She try to wake him: What forl
To tell him she was Il mur,lrrcSs and then to
let him see her die. for instinct told her that
nature was exhausted; and she knew that she
was certainly goins-g"ing fast. No, II hun
drrl times, no,
Only she put her hand into her breast and
drew out tn" pass, on the back Of which she
hal written To him. and thrust = between his
liStlrS> fingers. 1t should speak i"r her. Then
she leaned over him and watched his sleeping
fa,' Il very incarnation Of infinite. d"~IairiIg
tenderness and love shat is deeper tlam !,
grave And us She watched gradually her
feet and lrw> grew cold and numb, i'll ut
length She couIl feel nothing below her
bosom She was dead nearly Ia TIN" heart.
The RAYS of the moon faded Slnwl ~ from the
level Of tn" little cave, and .I"ln'> face grew
dark to her darhcni,iE sight. She l"mt down
and ki>>rl him once. twice, thrice.
Then at last the end came. There was q
great flashing Of light E"f"r" her eyes, and the
roaring aS Of Il thousand >,;l> within her ears,
and her lra'l sank gently on her lover ) breast
us on II pillow; and there. she died and passed
upward toward the wider lil'. and larger
liberty. or mrchahcc downward into The
depths Of IN eternal sleep.
Poor darI, eyed, deep hearted jess This
WAS the fruition Of her love and this her
bridal lr,l
1t was done. She had gone. taking with
her the secret of her self sacrifice and crime,
and the night winds moaning amid thu rocks
sang their requiem OVER her Here she first
had learned her love, and here she closed its
hook.
She might have been Il great and good
woman. She might even have been Il happy
woman. l.ut fate had ordained it otherwise.
Women such It's She arc rarely happy in the
world. 1t is not we'll tn stake all ones for
tune on Il throw and lack the craft I" load the
dice. Well. her troubles are done with.
"Think gently of her. and let her pass in
peace.
Tho hours grew on toward the morning.
but john the dead face of the woman hr had
loved still pillowcI on his breast neither
dreamed nor woke There WAS Il >tr;lllg" and
dreadful irony in the situation, and one which
sometimes finds II counterpart III our waking
life. hut still Tn" man slept ami the 'h:'u
woman lay till the night turned int" tn"
morning amd the world woke up a> Usual.
The sruGranlS slid into the cave and played
inlilrrrn,lv upon the ushrm face and tangled
curl, and on the broad chest "t the living
man whrrcom they rested. I'm old lmho"n
pccpcd round the rocky r'lSr and manifested
no surprise, only Indignation, 1T III" Intrusion
Of humanity, dead or alive, int" his d"mn-
ions Yes, the world woke up rs usual, and
rocked not and troubled not lcca,l>r jess way
,lral
1t w;ls 50 accustomed To such sights.
And ut last John woke up, too. He
stretched his arms and yawmcd. and then for
the first time became aware of the weight
upon his breast He glanced down and saw
tlimv ut lir>t-thrn more clearly.
in, q
wlScSt not to pry. ami one of tlvln is the first
agony OF IL strong mans grief.
Happy was it for linn that his brain did
not giyr way III that first lonely hour of bot
upnl,>s DESPAIR But h" lived through if, as
W.. do live through such things. anl waS s;lnr
ami sound after it, though it left its mark
upon his life.
Tvs" hours later il G;Iunt. hn-@ar'l iGllrc
cam" >iumilu. down the hillside toward the
site "f M"oliuntrin. harin. >nn"thmg IN his
arms Til" whole place WAS in r"i!Imnii"n.
Here ami there wrr" knots Of Beers talking
cxri,c!lr, who, when they SAW HE man com
ing hurried up To- seq who il WAS and what he
carried I;ut when they kl"w they fell lack
awrl and without Il word. and ir. too,
passed through them Wthult Il word. r"r "A
moment h. M.Siatr,l. realizing that TN" house
WAS burned down. aul then turned into TN"
wagon she'd and Iail ms burden down upon the
saw h,'nth "m which Frank Muller had sat rs
JUDI" upon tn" previous day.
Then Il, last IL. >l"'Lr in II hnar>r voice,
"Whcrr is the obi NAN bIr' of tlIruj ,r rmtci
To tie door Of tn" lIltlr room.
"D,"m n h. sail, So li"rr"lv that tn"y
again fell back ami "Ir.vrd hin without II
word.
".Inln, .Tuhm." cried Sila> Croft "Thaui
Gud You have conn. back tu lis from tn"
dead" and. trembling; with joy AMI >rltlr! -,
he would have fallen upnn his neck.
"lIu>h" he answered; Il hay" brought the
dead with me-
And hr lr,l him tu where she lay.
During Tn" day the l;""r> all went tnl left
them alulr Now that Frank Muller WIS
dead there was 10 Thought among them uf
carving ont the s,.ul"m'"' upon their oil
n"i.,hhur. Besides. there WIS in warrant tor
tlr"X",'utiull even had they desired 81 I" '"
for their runllIllnlani hal del leaving II M
si.mrl So they h"Ii IL sort 81 informal III
quest upon their lrad"rs lm"lv. ami then
buried hlrn in the lnt. graveyard that WAS
planted with Ill" four r'rrl gums. 'iI" 1T r;l'h